


feel the breeze

by allmywill



Category: Arcadia (UK Band), Duran Duran
Genre: Analysis, Gen, Song Lyrics, open discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:08:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24471061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmywill/pseuds/allmywill
Summary: A brief analysis of Simon’s lyrics regarding weather on bothRioandSo Red the Rose.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	feel the breeze

**Author's Note:**

> hello again, this is me easing my way back. i've missed it here and i am slowly making my return. the past couple weeks have been absolutely wild for me, but i think i'm getting back on track. don't quote me on that though. enjoy and feel free to add your thoughts!

I noticed a few weeks ago when I was writing all those _Rio_ poems that Simon talks about the weather a lot. I then noticed that it's not just on that album, but throughout Duran's discography and the Arcadia album as well. I've been wanting to write something to gather my thoughts regarding it and so this is coming to fruition.

I'm just focusing on _Rio_ and _So Red the Rose_ here. I have gone through the rest of Duran's lyrics and there's so many references it would be impossible to list them all and write about them. I'd be here all night, that's how prevalent this is. I also noticed that Simon also has an obsession with rivers, especially on _Rio_. There's so much to unpack with this album.

I know Simon's lyrics can be very ambiguous, especially the earlier ones. To me, emotions are a lot like weather. They change and shift, sometimes predictable and sometimes very much a surprise. He mentions rain and wind a lot; maybe meaning sadness and change? There are gray areas though, and depending on the situation, depending on how the words are sung, they can mean just about anything. Both rain and wind can destroy and they can heal.

And here's where the examples come in. I'll start with _Rio_ , as it came first.

_**My Own Way** : I saw you at the air-race yesterday, April showers get out of my way  
Fear of flying, no not me_

Surprisingly, the weather isn't directly mentioned in the title track. But its presence can be felt: the sand and dust imagery, the river mention too. Here, it seems like he's referring to someone as an April shower. Maybe a negative, gloomy person?

_**Lonely In Your Nightmare** : Because you're lonely in your nightmare let me in  
And there's heat beneath your winter let me in_

_Please tread gently on the ground when all around you earth turns to fire  
Only get a second chance when danger's on the wind_

_Must be l ucky weather when you find the kind of wind that you need  
Come on show me all the light and shade that made your name_

_Lonely_ is full of weather references, which makes me love it even more. It serves as the running theme throughout the song: there's warmth beneath the subject's cold exterior. There's a concealed summer day beneath a layer of sparkling frost.

The second chance could be the state of opening up, letting him in. The subject sees this as danger, obviously fearful and reluctant to do so.

So what is the lucky weather? The winds of change, possibly. He's asking them to come out of their shell, to escape their lonely nightmare. The kind of wind they need could erase that tantalizing fear and get them to finally open up.

_**Hold Back The Rain** : Hold back the rain  
Yes we're miles away from nowhere and the wind doesn't have a name  
So call it what you want to call it still blows down the lane_

_The clouds all scatter and we ride the outside lane_

The wind again. This song in particular showcases Simon's open to interpretation lyrical approach: call it what you want to call it. It's genius, I think. Like I said before, rain and wind can be bring relief and destruction. It's easy to imagine the rain in this song is a substance, be it drugs or alcohol.

_**New Religion** : Bring my timing in, seagulls gather on the wind  
Lady screaming, lady leave me out_

_Okay, my reasoning might be clouded by the sun_  
_But someone sees the departmental lie_

There's wind again and a beachy reference. We're reaching the latter half of the album, where he starts to mention the sun more. It's a shift I've noticed after many listenings and it's interesting to note.

_**Last Chance On The Stairway** : I just get a picture of sun in your eyes the waves in your hair_

_It could be the atmosphere sinking, I don't even know what you're thinking_

This one gives me happy sad vibes. The sun is usually a very positive symbol in lyrics, but here I'm getting a bit of cloudiness too. There's urgency, like a pleading. Why is the atmosphere sinking? It all boils down to that uncertainty; the fact that maybe he's not sure and that's okay.

_**Save a Prayer** : Feel the breeze deep on the inside  
Look you down into your well_

_Try to hold the rising floods that fill my skin  
Don't ask me why I'll keep my promise  
Melt the ice_

A lyrical masterpiece that deserves all the praise its given. This always reminds me of _Lonely_ , maybe a flipped version from the other perspective. They're letting him in, the heat winning and melting away the layer of ice. That would explain the flooding, the overwhelming feeling of exposure after letting those walls tumble down. There's definitely a connection between the two.

_**The Chauffeur** : And the sun drips down, bedding heavy behind_

_Way down the lane away, living for another day_  
_The aphids swarm up in the drifting haze_  
_Swim seagull in the sky_  
_Towards that hollow western isle_

I know this was written in 1978, before Simon even joined the band, but it suits this album perfectly. The mood it sets fits and it makes for a very memorable album closer. The dripping, melting sun, the haze, the seagull, everything.

This song has been analyzed and explained so many times, so I'll just give you my thoughts on the weather references. I sense humidity in this song, a buggy summer haze that is only intensified by the car's engine and the very present feelings of lust. This kind of weather would frustrate anyone; leaving them in a restless mood. It creates for a burning tension, which tapers off slowly as the track ends.

 _So Red the Rose_ has its fair share full of weather references too. Nick has described the album as a storm, so of course I had to analyze it. I can definitely see why he would say that. It's atmospheric and I love to turn it up loud and immerse myself in its beauty.

_**Election Day** : Your smile is something new_  
_I pull my shirt off and pray_  
_We're sacred and bound_  
_To suffer the heatwave_

The lyrics on this album are very metaphorical, perhaps some of Simon's most flowery language. Sidenote, I first heard this song during a particularly hot day last summer, so the heatwave line feels surreal whenever I hear it.

This song has always been a wild collection of imagery to me. Images of desperation, frustration, a bit of elation, even. The heatwave could be a new beginning. Or an ending.

_**The Flame** : I could feel the breeze blowing chance_  
_Blowing through my doorway_  
_Warm and restless just as you walked by_  
_Inside of smoky halls the circle drawn_  
_And voices call_  
_To raise some magic wind in my world_

Simon and his wind. At least he tells us what the wind is bringing this time. I'm trying not to compare this album to _Rio_ , because they're on entirely different levels, but there are times I feel as though there are a lot of parallels between the two that no one notices. Just something that I'm thinking as I write this.

This wind in particular feels more mystical, as does _So Red the Rose_ as a whole. 

_**Missing** : Stumbling out, I made my way towards the open door_  
_Climbing fast, the sun broad streaming_  
_Laughter down into your empty gaze_

During my research for this, I read that _Missing_ was actually written before the rest of the Arcadia songs. I thought that was interesting. This one reminds me of _Last Chance On The Stairway_. The sun here seems to be a happy symbol, maybe even a bit bittersweet in nature: light and emptiness coinciding together. Very haunting and equally as beautiful. To keep with the weather theme, this song is the calm before the rest of the storm continues on.

_**El Diablo** : Many lights die, many tears rain  
When those tears run dry  
On a mountain madness day_

_Weddings on the wind , will she blow my way?_

That last line is one of my favorites. This one is almost frightening, something evil clearly plaguing the narrator. And _this_ wind will bring him a bride, apparently.

_**Lady Ice** : Drifting snows  
Searching plains and high  
Turning stones as she looks  
For the heart somebody stole_

A precursor to _Winter Marches On_? Maybe I'm making connections where they're not necessary. The cold energy this song gives off is the perfect ending to a perfect album. Simon is really good at setting moods and creating an atmosphere within his lyrics. _Lady Ice_ gives me chills. When he sings of snow and ice, it can be felt to the bone.

This woman seems to be fruitless in her attempts to find her 'true heart'. That's quite a dark suggestion. It leaves a similar feeling in me as _The Chauffeur_ does as it fades away, signifying the end of _Rio_. It's haunting, and instead of hot and humid, it's cold and icy.

I hope this made at least an ounce of sense. It took a few days to gather my thoughts and get this down; writing has been tough lately. I will do more analysis things of this nature in the future if anyone is interested!


End file.
